


In sight

by Dawnwritesit



Series: For the best [3]
Category: NCT (Band), WAYV
Genre: Fluff and Angst, Homoeroticism, M/M, Rivalry, Social Media, Unresolved Sexual Tension
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-01-26
Updated: 2019-01-26
Packaged: 2019-10-16 13:15:23
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,552
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17550380
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Dawnwritesit/pseuds/Dawnwritesit
Summary: Kun is a very popular ASMRtist who posts new videos weekly. Ten is an upcoming ASMR podcaster who starts posting his podcasts on YouTube. Everything starts collapsing when Ten switches from posting sound over immobile thumbnails to making videos, and his growing popularity starts to worry well-established Kun. As Kun's fanbase starts to decline he decides to deal with the matter his own way. How will Kun’s actions provoke such a butterfly effect that Ten's life will be impacted in an irreversible manner?





	In sight

**Author's Note:**

> Synopsis: Lucas pushes Ten once more to change his habits while Kun gets ready to fight back, and his surveillance turns to obsession.  
> Chapter two of For the best series / YouTuber!AU

It had more or less become a habit: Lucas would be coming over every time Ten was planning to post a video. Not that Ten needed Lucas’s particular skills, but since he had been there for his takeoff, he was feeling that something in his presence was helping him focus on doing a better video. All was still pretty rudimental, and Ten consistently refused to film himself during his podcasts – or even apart from them, since he was now working on producing ASMR content two times a week. Lucas would always try to push him but Ten would always change the subject of the conversation, or would bring up his reputation at college. This was something he wasn’t ready to let go of. He loved his privacy, and in his eyes he had done a leap big enough by posting his podcasts recording on YouTube – after all it was his voice, and it was personal enough. 

Over the course of the weeks following the release of Ten’s first video, his podcast gained more listeners. He hadn’t really expected it, but he was glad that it was the case because he was definitely more comfortable in this situation. He even had started to feel way happier and less nervous about podcasting than he used to be; he thought that posting on YouTube had allowed him to have a different perspective on his own work and his personal projects and hobbies. YouTube was generating some unknown fear and a form of anxiety he wasn’t familiar with, and it was far from being stimulating as Lucas would’ve called it. His real motivation was his podcast and his podcast only; he was doing the videos because they were bringing new audiences for his podcast – and also partly because Lucas loved them. 

Sometimes Ten questioned Lucas’ motivations in pushing him to make those videos. Lucas would be saying that it was because he valued Ten’s work, that Ten deserved way more than he already had with his podcasts, and that YouTube was where it was at for “modern” ASMRtists. Even though Ten would agree, that YouTube was the platform, and that, yes maybe, his work was of value, he still didn’t quite grasp why Lucas was so passionate about it, or so well-informed. For as much as he knew Lucas had never seemed interested in Ten’s podcasts before the one talk the two men had at the café, and Lucas’s enthusiasm had thrown Ten off for a moment. Eventually concerns were brushed off and Ten came to the conclusion that Lucas only wanted one thing: he believed in his friend’s potential and he wanted to see him develop his potential. He needed to see him bloom. 

When the total views for Ten’s videos reached 1,000,000 views – something that took less than a month, or four videos – Lucas bulldozed his way into Ten’s head.

“Shouldn’t we be celebrating?” Lucas said, head turned looking at Ten from the couch he was sitting on. His large hands were resting on his knees and his legs were slightly spread. 

Ten continued to nibble on his lower lip and turned back away from Lucas. He was sitting on his desk chair, nervously clicking and pretending to edit a clip to ignore Lucas.

“I don’t… I don’t feel like we should, should we?” Ten answered in a feeble voice as he dragged his fingers down the laptop’s pad.

Lucas sighed, stood up, and walked to Ten’s seat. He stayed a moment standing behind Ten and the nibbling had intensified. Ten had grown accustomed to Lucas’s presence, but there always was this little something when their bodies were close. It was some profound affection, a feeling that had developed naturally but which was ready to be misinterpreted and made into something more. Lucas quietly turned the seat around and once he had Ten in sight crouched in front of him. His eyes were showing sheer understanding and concern, but still with the same playful and motivated light in them. 

“I don’t want you to not feel happy about this,” Lucas murmured as he moved his hand up to hold Ten’s.

The touch made Ten shiver, as it always did. He was never getting bodily contact besides from Lucas’s occasional touch, but every time he was getting it he was realizing how badly he was suffering from the lack of it. Lucas gently squeezed Ten’s fingers and proceeded to move up to caress the back of his hand.

“You know I think you should do this for yourself, and yourself first,” Lucas continued. “If you’re not happy about doing videos, you can stop. I just want you to be happy about your achievements, and if your YouTube achievements don’t make you happy then there’s no point.”

Ten’s heart was like stuck in the middle of his throat. Everything he could feel was the beating of it inside him, and the tearing sensation in his stomach. Lucas’s eyes were trying to decipher Ten’s face which had froze, its’ only liveliness coming from the burning read color of his cheeks. Ten moved his hand away from Lucas’s and wiped his palms in his sweater.

“I… It’s scary, Yukhei. That’s all,” Ten let out, while trying to turn back from Lucas once again. However Lucas was firmly holding to the seat and Ten’s attempt was vain.

“I understand it is. But you should learn to trust yourself. No one can know who you are, no one can guess – and even if they did, listen to me, even if they did, who cares? You are doing an amazing job and you deserve all the credit for it. You should be proud of doing what you’re doing. Yeah you’re TenderASMR, so what? TenderASMR is fucking amazing.”

The conviction in Lucas’s voice and the power of his own words had brought him to stand up; he was now in front of Ten in all his length, a fact which was adding to Ten’s nervousness. His eyes were closed and he didn’t want to have to look up at him. He was way too confused by Lucas’s support, and kindness, and charm. Ten’s eyes were forced open by the caress of Lucas’s fingers on his cheeks. They rested there and as Lucas put them away to sit back on the couch Ten’s mouth stayed half-opened.

“So… Are we celebrating or no?” Lucas said after a long pause, during which Ten had remained frozen and speechless.

Ten smiled and finally stood up from his chair.

“Where… Where are we going?” Ten quietly asked as he walked up to Lucas to reach the corridor and put his shoes on to leave.

Lucas smiled and grabbed his backpack. It fell loudly on his thighs, and for a split second Ten wished to be that bag. Unexpectedly Lucas got a wine bottle out of there, he was firmly holding it and triumphantly showed it to Ten.

“I knew you would be reluctant to celebrating. So we can just stay here – so you can edit some more if you feel the need to – and have wine. And order pizza?”

Ten’s head had tilted to the side as Lucas talked and he was now beaming. Lucas knew him way too well.

“Call the pizza place, I’m grabbing us some glasses!” Ten said before slipping into the kitchen. He had completely forgotten about YouTube and the stress the platform was putting him through. Lucas’s speech had begun to convince him – he was TenderASMR and he should be proud of it. He was a phenomenon in the ASMR community, and that in more ways than he could think of.

\--

“Alright then. See ya.”

Kun hung up and slid his phone back in his pocket. For once he wasn’t editing ASMR videos, nor was he recording one. His eyes were fixed on his computer screen, and his web browser had several tabs open, the one he was staring at being YouTube. He had witnessed helplessly that TenderASMR had been releasing videos regularly since last month. It was set like clockwork: one video every week, usually on Wednesday or Thursday. Kun had refused to actively watch the videos again, in fear of tingles but also because of the jealousy burning inside him. He was giving that channels views, and it was enough to make him furious. Even if he could’ve refused to pay attention to that rising star he needed to constantly keep it in check, and his eyes were betraying his panic as he saw the views number rapidly going up. 

The phone call he had just passed had been of help, though. He needed to be patient, but ultimately if TenderASMR’s reputation and popularity were to be competing with his, he would have to take action. Kun was ready to, and even if he felt the need to kill his opponent while it was still easily controllable, he also realized that it was probably wiser to wait. If it wasn’t just a fad – and it didn’t seem like it was – then he was ready, but if it was, matter would be dealt with on its own. Kun satisfyingly laid back in his chair and smiled. “You’re not fit… You’re not fit for that life,” Kun thought as he closed his eyes, the smile not leaving his face. He knew that if the videos were to remain fixed pictures with layered sounds people would get bored; he knew it too well. People are greedy – they constantly want more, and if TenderASMR didn’t cater to their need, it would know a downfall as quick as its rise.

Kun would’ve refused to be called obsessed, but every Wednesday he was in front of his computer waiting for the release of a new TenderASMR video. It had become his compulsory pause from recording; he had a sort of intrinsic need to see what the video released would be, so he would possibly better counter it with his own release of the week.  
That night Kun was at his usual spot, refreshing the home page of TenderASMR from time to time to be part of the first viewers. He was aware that his behavior was unhealthy, but there was nothing else he could do that would’ve relieved his feelings. Kun was nervously bent over on his chair, one elbow on his knee, fingers to the mouth as he bit on his nails, and the other hand pressing the “refresh page” key. With each refresh he didn’t expect to see anything new; refreshing the page was a lifeless reflex which would only fuel his hatred more. When he would see it he would feel a wave of feelings rise inside him, a mix of anger, hatred, but also excitement in a way – Kun was convinced that he was better than this ASMRtist and he needed to reassert his dominance with every new video released. He was a step ahead for he knew of the other artist but the other artist didn’t suspect his behavior. This advantage was exulting and almost erotic. 

The change of thumbnail was the first thing that alerted Kun. He nervously scrolled down the home page to check the other videos’ thumbnails and to count them. Seven. The newly-released video was the seventh and its thumbnail was unusual – instead of the usual rather neutral background picture, this thumbnail was showing a bust, a male bust up to the shoulders, along with a pair of hands in front of it. The palms of the hands were facing the camera, and as Kun guessed without reading the title of the video, it was all about visual triggers. 

“FUCK!” Kun let out, letting his left hand slam onto the desk. The strength in his movement made him roll away from his spot, but he quickly rolled back in position – and clicked on the video. 

The setting of the camera wasn’t so good; it was a little dull and the colors that Ten had chosen were rather dark: he was standing in front of a white wall, and he was wearing a marine blue sweater. Nothing else was seen in the frame, and his bust looked like a dark sea lost at shore. Kun noticed how frail the man’s silhouette appeared to be, and he tried to estimate his figure. From the bust, shoulders, and mainly hands, Kun figured that the man wasn’t that tall, but as he came to the conclusion he wondered why he had spent that much time thinking about it. After all what mattered was the views and the possible competition, not who that person was. 

Nonetheless Kun got lost in his own thoughts as he allowed the video to play for longer than he usually did. The man’s hands were fascinating: they were delicate, dainty, the fingers slender and well-formed, and each knuckle perfectly equilibrating the rest; there was a mesmerizing quality to them. When the hand movements stopped Kun was pulled out of his reflexion – or admiration – and it took him a few seconds to realize what he was doing. With all his might he started to feel the hatred for the artist again, even harder than before because of how he had fallen for the hand tricks. 

On screen Ten was now gently brushing the lens with a makeup brush, but it wasn’t exactly what had caught Kun’s attention. The camera’s position wasn’t exactly the same: it had moved from exclusively showing a bust to showing less of a bust but a neck, and the sharpness of a chin and lower jaw. Kun paused the video and leaned over to get a closer look. The chin was slightly square and the jaw didn’t appear to be large – his face seemed to be as delicate as his fingers. The skin was smooth and appealing; Kun hated that he desperately wanted to touch. He also craved to see more. Finally being able to see a part of his opponent felt like he was being teased, and that in all the meanings of the term. Kun brought one hand to the mouth and nervously nibbled on the last knuckle of his thumb. 

“If he’s handsome too I don’t stand a chance,” he thought before closing the tab and focusing back on his own work.

\--

Lucas’s constant encouragements and compliments were what had pushed Ten to record videos. He had found an old camera in his closet, and it was of a quality good enough for Ten to show what he wanted to show. 

“No face,” he had told Lucas, who was excitingly setting up the camera. “Just… down. We can go up to the chin, but even then I feel like it’s too recognizable.”

“Don’t worry,” Lucas had answered while adjusting the camera. “I know your concerns – even if I think hiding your pretty face is still a pity.”

Lucas moved away from the camera, showing Ten that it was ready, and continued.

“At least I still get to see it.”

It took Ten some moments before he could start recording; even if his face wasn’t visible he was terribly blushing because of Lucas’s flirting words. “He’s going to kill me one day,” he thought as his fingers and hands danced in front of the camera, and that his eyes moved from them to Lucas, who was proudly looking at him.


End file.
